The strongest high school student in Japan

"Is this a compliment or an insult?" Mogami Jun still smiled bitterly, "Okay, I'll take it as a compliment."

"Of course it's a compliment, Captain." Okabe Kaoru replied, "I say this sincerely. I'm very happy to be able to work with you, even as a team member under you. Although the others didn't say it explicitly, I think they definitely did so. I just heard you say that you might quit the team halfway, and I hope you can consider our sakes and not do this... I'm not sure if we can still have the current team atmosphere if we replace someone else."

"After saying so much, are you trying to keep me in the end?" Mogami Jun laughed.

Then he pondered for a moment.

"Since you flatter me so much, well, I promise you that I won't quit the team unless something major happens."

He thought about it carefully and decided that since there was nothing important to do right now, there was nothing wrong with continuing the game.

"That's great!" Okabe Kaoru was overjoyed. "Thank you, Captain! Please continue to lead us!"

"Let's just work together. We might not get far before we're beaten back home." Mogami Jun shrugged.

Then he looked up and found that two people had already walked to the school gate.

"Okay, anything else?" he asked.

"There's one more thing." The smile on Okabe Kaoru's face disappeared, and his expression became serious again, "Be careful of Sakai Koichi. I've come into contact with him a few times since he recovered from his illness and returned to school. I feel like he's a little strange."

"Strange?" Mogami Jun frowned. "What's strange about it?"

This was the second time today that someone had called someone weird in front of him.

Coincidence? Or is it really a bit strange?

It's hard to believe it's a coincidence.

"I can't explain it in detail. After all, we are not good friends..." Okabe Xun shook his head, "But I always feel that he is more gloomy than before, and seems to be doing something secretly. When I think about whether he and you may have had some grudges before, I think I'd better remind you. Of course, maybe I'm just overthinking it... I'm really sorry for wasting your time. That's all I want to say."

"No, no need to apologize, I want to thank you for your concern." Mogami Jun patted his shoulder. "Really, thank you."

"As friends, isn't that what we should do?" Okabe Fumio replied with a smile.

"See you."

"Goodbye."

169, Dream

It's time to go home from school again.

Takasaki Mayu chatted with her friends and then walked out of the school gate together.

Girls' topics are always trivial and jumpy, but Takasaki Mayu is able to handle it with ease. As the central figure among the girls, she can always control this kind of small talk and make everyone feel involved in the group.

In the past, these girls would have some after-school activities, such as shopping and singing, but today Zhenyou was going to go home early, so she could only say goodbye to everyone.

"Goodbye everyone~" Takasaki Mayu waved to everyone with a smile on her face, and then set off for the tram station.

After losing their centerpiece, the group of girls seemed to have lost interest in continuing to shop, so after saying goodbye to each other, they each went their separate ways.

No one noticed that a young man in the school uniform was following them silently and looking at them quietly.

Mayu Takasaki walked into the station.

People came and went, but when passing in front of her, many people couldn't help but take a casual glance to admire the youthful and beautiful face of the high school girl. Takasaki Mayu had long been accustomed to such gazes from all directions, so she continued walking forward without caring.

She lowered her head and walked forward quietly. The smile on her face when she said goodbye to the girls just now had completely disappeared, as if she had completely blocked out everyone around her.

Prompted by a soft yet cold electronic sound, Zhenyou stepped onto the tram, then held onto the handrail and moved along with the tram.

The tram car was very silent, with very few people whispering to each other. Everyone was just immersed in their own time, and Zhenyou also blended into this atmosphere, quietly watching the lights flashing outside the car.

"Hi." At this moment, she suddenly heard a greeting in her ear.

The distance was so close that she could almost feel a breeze passing by her ears, making her feel slightly tingling.

Harassment? Pervert!

Zhenyou suddenly came to his senses, then glared to the side with an angry face, ready to yell at the other party as soon as he made any further move, making him receive the punishment he deserved.

Since she was a child, she has experienced this kind of thing because she is very beautiful. But whenever she encounters it, she will never swallow her anger out of fear. After all, it is very convenient to call the police in the station.

But soon, her movements stopped and the anger in her eyes turned into astonishment.

"It's you?"

She clearly noticed that the person standing next to her holding the ring was actually...

"Long time no see, Yuzu-chan." Mogami Jun smiled at her, "Although I can actually see you in class, it always feels like we haven't seen each other for a long time."

Looking at Jun Mogami's smile, Mayu couldn't help but smile subconsciously, but the smile soon disappeared because she had reacted.

"You... followed me?"

"No, I didn't follow you. I just wanted to make sure if you were really going home." replied Jun Mogami.

"Huh? Isn't that stalking?!" Zhenyou couldn't control himself and responded loudly.

For a moment, she felt something was wrong and covered her mouth.

Japanese people are very averse to others making noises on the train. Even if the person doing so is a pretty girl, some people will cast disgusted glances at them.

She looked at Jun Mogami hatefully and continued to scold her silently.

But for some reason, she suddenly recalled what happened in the concert hall before, and her anger subsided a lot.

"I'm sorry." Mogami Jun apologized to her in a low voice, "We can't communicate in this situation. Let's talk after we get off the car."

"What to talk about?" Takasaki Mayu asked back.

"You should actually know, right?" Mogami Jun asked back.

Then he stopped talking and just stood there quietly looking out the window.

Takasaki Mayu had a lot to say, but now she couldn't say it, so she had to remain silent as well.

So the two of them stood side by side under the rings, just like they did at the beginning, and followed the train from stop to stop.

Until finally, when the train stopped again and opened the carriage, Mayu finally let go of her hand and walked out of the carriage, while Mogami Jun followed her closely and walked out of the station together.

"Is there any place where we can stay for a while? Just somewhere quiet." asked Jun Mogami.

"I want to go home." Zhenyou frowned.

"You don't expect me to go home with you, do you?" Mogami Jun spread his hands. "Don't think I'll go home just because you said you don't have time. I have to talk to you today."

"You..." Zhenyou bit her lip.

Judging from Mogami Jun's attitude, he can really do it.

After thinking about it, she had to compromise. She couldn't really let him follow her home.

"You're so annoying sometimes..." She could only complain in the end and then acquiesced to his request.

Mayu Takasaki brought Jun Mogami to a milk tea shop on the street, then ordered two cups of milk tea and sat down.

"Tell me, what do you want to talk to me about?" Zhenyou asked impatiently.

"Yuzu-chan~" Mogami Jun waved at her. "I remember you said we were friends... Is that invalid?"

When Jun Mogami called her that, Mayu's face instantly flushed with shame and embarrassment, but she still nodded.

"It's not invalidated. Are you happy?"

"I'm very happy." Mogami Jun nodded, "Then can you tell me why you have been so strange recently?"

"What are you thinking about?" Zhenyou asked dissatisfiedly.

"If I were the only one thinking this, it might be nonsense, but I've asked a lot of people, and they all said that you've been acting a little strange lately, as if you're unsettled." Mogami Jun said as he leaned his head closer, "Even now, if you look closely at your face, you'll find something strange..."

"What's wrong with my face?!" After all, she was a girl, so Zhenyou became anxious when she heard it, and subconsciously raised her hand to touch her cheek.

"Although you usually wear makeup, it's always light makeup, the kind that you can't even tell you're wearing makeup. But now, your makeup is a bit heavy - you can tell you've been feeling uneasy lately, so have you run into any trouble?" Mogami asked slowly, "Poor sleep is a big taboo for beauty."

"..." Takasaki Mayu was silent, perhaps she didn't know how to refute Mogami Jun.

After a moment, she spoke again carefully, "Have I really become ugly?"

"No, you're still very beautiful, very beautiful." Mogami Jun answered seriously, "But youth can't stand such consumption, right? So, Yuzu-chan, what are you worried about recently? Tell me."

"Are you worried about me?" Zhenyou asked back.

"Strictly speaking, I'm not the only one who's worried." Mogami Jun replied with a smile, "You just admitted that we are friends, right? If we are friends, then we shouldn't harm each other, right?"

"What do you mean? I'm trying to trick you?" Gao Qimayou was confused. "Why are you suddenly having these crazy thoughts?"

"Seeing your recent behavior, I have a very bad guess--" Mogami Jun stared at Mayu's face, observing her expression changes, "You, actually did not reject Professor Ying Si's proposal and cooperate with the ER3 Association?"

Takasaki Mayu's expression suddenly turned ugly, and her gaze subconsciously moved away.

From the instant change in Mayu's expression, Mogami Jun felt that his guess was correct, and she didn't even need to answer anything.

Seeing that he guessed correctly, Mogami Jun was not very happy. He just sighed, picked up the plastic cup filled with milk tea and took a big sip in one breath.

"It seems to be true... Why?"

Zhenyou closed her eyes and didn't make any excuses.

Perhaps Jun Mogami's gaze made it difficult for her to get away with lying.

"The general election is coming, and I've been dragged down too much because of the previous turmoil. I've already caused a lot of trouble for the company. If I don't rank higher this time, I'll definitely be treated coldly in the future... So I want to try my best." After a long time, she sighed and took a sip of milk tea. "It just so happened that they sent me an email that day, telling me that the electronic currency in my account would appreciate significantly. I was skeptical at first, but later it seemed to be true..."

After a pause, she spoke again, "That's not pocket money. I calculated that if the currency appreciates at the current rate, I might end up with 10 or 20 million yen... If I really had that much money, I would be able to turn the tide and even rank among the top."

"Will your dream finally be realized by using the money given by others?" Mogami Jun asked in a low voice.

"This is a money game, isn't it? Let fans buy boxes of CDs that no one listens to, and then vote for us. Whoever gets the most votes is the winner and can be glorious... The loser has no room to hide, it's a complete failure, and all their efforts are just stepping stones for others." Takasaki Mayu lowered her head, as if smiling bitterly, "It's stupid, isn't it? Our dreams are actually measured by money, and there have always been people who buy into it and give us a lot of money. I don't know if we are crazy or society is crazy."

"I feel like everyone is crazy—" replied Jun Mogami.

"Crazy... But since I'm part of this, I have to accept this set of rules. I... I didn't do this job to fail and cry!" Perhaps stimulated by something, Takasaki Mayu suddenly became excited, "You don't know how happy some people were when I was hidden a while ago, and how many sarcastic words they said. They must have thought that I was finished... So I will never accept losing to them, do you understand my feelings?!"

Perhaps she felt that she was a little too excited, so she finally smiled bitterly, "Well, even if we are all crazy, what's wrong with that? We haven't harmed you at all... Don't worry, they didn't ask me to do anything to harm you, and I won't do it. After all, we are friends."

"Thank you." Jun Mogami was silent for a moment, then sighed.

Yes, Zhenyou is indeed under a lot of pressure from all sides, and has been enduring it.

In a sense, I am also one of the people who brings pressure to her.

"What did they ask you to do?" Mogami Jun continued to ask, "Logically speaking, since you have received so many benefits, it is impossible that they will not let you do anything, right? Besides, judging from your current performance, you must be in trouble for some reason..."

"They haven't done anything yet. At most, they asked me to help collect some information in the circle, and it's not important news." Takasaki Mayu shook her head. "However, the agreement stipulates that if I fail to reach the predetermined ranking, it proves that I am not good enough, and the loan will be reclaimed - isn't it fair?"

"What?!" Mogami Jun was really shocked. "So, if you don't succeed, you will have to bear a lot of debt at this age? Are you crazy?"

"I'm not crazy. On the contrary, Yuzu-chan... I have truly grown up. I want to thank you for this, Jun-chan." Zhen Yu suddenly raised her head and looked at him with a strange look, "Jun-chan, do you know why Yuzu-chan wants to be friends with you so much? Because you just keep thinking straight about the road in front of you and rush forward, without hesitation or regret - when you were playing the blood-drawing game with others, did you ever think about 'what if it doesn't work'? Maybe you thought about it, but you still did it without hesitation, didn't you?"

"I have my reasons..." replied Jun Mogami.

"Then I have my reasons too. Why do you think your reasons are superior to mine?" Takasaki Mayu asked back, "Yuzu-chan, can't you gamble for yourself like you do? And Yuzu-chan believes that she is qualified to win, right? What is so unlovable about Yuzu-chan? Why do you have to be a stepping stone for others just because of bad luck? Is this reasonable? So Yuzu-chan wants to turn the tables for herself. Jun-chan, shouldn't you understand Yuzu-chan? This is learning from you!"

Mayu's questioning left Mogami Jun speechless for a moment.

Indeed, this is also a kind of effort for yourself.

Perhaps Mayu's current mood is similar to the mood she felt when she walked in front of Hyoudou Takako.

"Thank you, Jun-chan, you gave Yu-chan the courage to fight, but now it's Yu-chan's own battle." Shin Yu suddenly bowed his head to thank Mogami Jun, "Don't worry, Yu-chan has a high chance of winning. When Yu-chan fulfills her wish, I'll ask you to sing for you again~"

No one can feel at ease after hearing such a flag!

"Don't do that." Mogami Jun swept away the remaining half cup of milk tea. "This is not a request, this is an order."

"Why?" Takasaki Mayu was a little surprised. "Why... do you order me? No, sorry, I won't listen this time."

Then, perhaps because she was afraid that she would waver, Takasaki Mayu stood up and turned to walk out the door, "Goodbye, Jun-chan, I've already told you everything I need to say, and this is also because you're a good friend of yours... So, as a friend, just give me your blessing silently..."

"No, you have to listen to me, at least just this once." Mogami Jun stood behind, looked at Mayu and said calmly, "You can't afford to disobey me, I promise."

Although it sounded like just a general threat, his tone was unquestionable and people couldn't help but feel scared after hearing it.

"What... do you mean?" Takasaki Mayu stopped and turned to look at Mogami Jun.

"Since it's an election, you're not the only one, right? There are other people participating... like Sanae Izumi?" Mogami looked at him coldly and said word by word, "I don't know much about your industry, and I don't know how to operate it, but I think it's all about money, right? If you don't agree to me and don't do what I say, then I'll vote for Sanae! If Sanae is not on the ballot, I'll vote for someone else, anyone except you! Ten or twenty million, sounds like a lot, right? But if I tell you that I can find a way to raise more money and make all your efforts come to naught, do you believe it?!"

Takasaki Mayu's face suddenly turned pale.

Her anger made it difficult for her to control herself.

"You...what did you say?"

"Didn't I make myself clear enough?" Mogami Jun asked back. "Sit down right now and listen to me!"